The present invention relates generally to methods and systems for automatically extruding dough-based products having pre-selected weights. More particularly, embodiments of the present invention automatically scale the weight of a dough-based product, such as a doughnut, at the extruder end of an apparatus by controlling the extrusion tank air pressure.
Doughnut production involves mixing and extruding a dough-based product. The extruded dough-based product is cut and dropped onto a belt or tray and transported through a proofer to a frying apparatus for cooking. After cooking, the dough-based product may be glazed, filled, and/or decorated to make the final doughnut.
A conventional extruding and cutting apparatus is made of stainless steel plate, industrial construction, and washdown (NEMA IV is a requirement). Such an extruding and cutting apparatus comprises a container for the dough, a lid with hold-down screws, and an extruding mechanism that dispenses the dough-based products at the base of the container. As used herein, the term xe2x80x9cextruding mechanismxe2x80x9d includes what is known in the industry as xe2x80x9ccutters,xe2x80x9d xe2x80x9cknives,xe2x80x9d or any other extruding device that is used to extrude and cut the dough-based product from the container.
A conventional extruding and cutting apparatus is constructed somewhat like a pressure cooker, and the container is airtight when the screws are tightened and the lid is secured. Once secured, the container is pressurized to a pre-selected starting air pressure that is based on the type of dough-based product to be dispensed. Air pressure is critical to the maintenance of proper dispensed weight of the selected dough-based product. Next, the extrusion process is initiated and air pressure forces the dough through the cutters as they are opened and closed by the air cylinder mechanism.
It is important that dough-based products formed by the extruder have a constant weight (i.e., a weight within an acceptable range). Operating conditions for subsequent processing steps are set based on dough-based products having a particular weight. When dough-based products are formed by the extruder and have weights outside of a target range, then the final product (i.e., after proofing and frying) may have undesirable properties. For example, the dough-based products may be outside product specifications, crunchy, too oily, underfried or may have a burnt flavor. Dough-based products with these properties may be unsatisfactory to customers.
In conventional systems, an operator constantly oversees the production run and manually weighs the dispensed dough-based products (i.e., individual cuttings of the dough-based product). Based on the actual dispensed weight, the operator adjusts air pressure to maintain the pre-selected weight of the dough-based products. If a dough-based product is not within the pre-selected dough-based product weight range, then the operator manually adjusts the air pressure until the pre-selected dough-based product weight range is achieved.
For example, in a conventional system designed to produce two hundred seventy (270) dozen doughnuts per hour, an operator removes one half dozen doughnuts per minute (i.e., one tray or flight of doughnutsxe2x80x94six doughnuts being the number of doughnuts formed with each extrusion) and weighs them. The operator then adjusts the pressure if the weight of these six doughnuts are outside of a target weight range. With this system, thirty dozen doughnuts are discarded per hour in order to insure that doughnuts having a proper weight are formed by the extruder. In addition, the operator may also spend time straightening the formed dough-based products on the trays before they are proofed.
Further, in conventional processes, when the dough supply runs low, one or more of the cutters dispense air. This is referred to as a xe2x80x9cblow out.xe2x80x9d Thereafter, the operator immediately stops the extrusion process.
Conventional industry practice is a time-consuming, subjective, and imprecise process that demands high labor and product resources. Thus, a need exists for methods and systems to automatically extrude and cut dough-based products while also automatically maintaining a pre-selected target weight. A need also exists for methods and systems that are able to communicate with other doughnut production devices, such as a proofer or a fryer, and automatically control these devices with input/output signals to streamline the entire doughnut production process. There is a further need for state-of-the-art methods and systems that are user-friendly and that are able to collect, accumulate, disseminate, and manage doughnut production data in a fast, reliable, and efficient manner.
To overcome the aforementioned problems and to provide other benefits, the present invention provides easy, reliable, and efficient methods and systems for automatically extruding and cutting dough-based products having pre-selected weights. In an embodiment of the present invention, the methods and systems automatically scale the weight of individually cut dough-based products dispensed at the extruder end of an extruder apparatus by directly controlling the extrusion tank air pressure, thereby, controlling the dough-based product weight range. Examples of dough-based products that may be formed using the methods and apparatuses of the present invention include, without limitation, doughnuts, ring doughnuts, doughnut shells, doughnut holes, doughnut twists and cinnamon rolls.
In an embodiment of a method of the present invention for automatically forming dough-based products, a tank containing dough is pressurized. The dough is extruded and cut into individual dough-based products by an extruding mechanism. In one embodiment, several extruding mechanisms are connected to the tank, such that an equivalent number of dough-based products may be formed at the same time. The extruding mechanisms may be actuated at the same time, so that in one cycle, a flight of individual dough-based products are formed and may be released onto trays or other conveying mechanisms.
According to a method of the present invention, the weight of the dough-based products in each flight is measured. The weight of the dough-based products in each flight may be measured in a number of ways. In one embodiment, the weight of the tank, including its contents, is measured after each flight of dough-based products is formed. The weight of the tank after the flight of dough-based products is formed is compared to the weight of the tank after the formation of the previous flight to determine the weight of the most recently formed flight of dough-based products. In this embodiment, the tank is attached to at least one load cell that measures the weight of the tank and its contents.
The weight data from the load cells may be transmitted to a computer having a processor and memory. The measured weight of the dough-based products in the flight is compared to a predetermined weight stored in the computer memory. If the measured weight is different from the predetermined weight, the computer may adjust the pressure in the tank. The computer may adjust the pressure in the tank by transmitting a signal to an air pressure controller coupled to a source of air pressure. A software application may perform this comparison and determine the size of the pressure adjustment. If the measured weight is the same as the predetermined weight, no pressure adjustment may be necessary.
In another embodiment, a predetermined weight range is stored in the computer memory. In this embodiment, if the measured weight is outside the predetermined weight range, then the computer may adjust the pressure in the tank. If the measured weight is within the predetermined weight range, then no pressure adjustment may be necessary.
The computer may also include a database, which stores dough-based product formulas. The product formulas may be sorted by type of dough-based product and may include such information as the predetermined weight, the number of extruding mechanisms and an initial air pressure for the tank.
In another embodiment of a method of the present invention, data relating to the measured weight of the dough-based products and pressure adjustment are stored. The stored data may be used in subsequent processing steps. For example, the stored data may be used to adjust the process parameters of a proofer or a fryer.
The present invention also relates to methods for automatically making dough-based products. In one embodiment, dough-based products are made by pressurizing a tank containing dough, extruding the dough into individual dough-based products, proofing the dough-based products and frying the dough-based products. In this embodiment, after each extrusion of individual dough-based products, the weight of the dough-based products are measured as discussed above. The weight data may be transmitted to a computer having a processor and memory. The measured weight of the dough-based products may be compared to a predetermined weight stored in the computer memory. Based on this weight comparison, the computer may adjust the pressure in the tank before subsequent extrusions and cuts of dough to form dough-based products. In a further embodiment, the dough-based products are glazed.
A software application on a computer in an embodiment compares the measured weight of the at least one dough-based product to the predetermined weight. The software application may also determine the necessary adjustment, if required, based on the weight comparison. The computer may also include a database containing dough-based product formulas. The product formulas may be sorted by type of dough-based product and may include such information as the predetermined weight, the number of extruding mechanisms and an initial air pressure for the tank.
In another embodiment, data relating to the measured weight of the dough-based products and pressure adjustment are stored. The stored data may be used to adjust process parameters of the proofer, the fryer, the glazer or other post-extrusion processing equipment.
An embodiment of an apparatus of the present invention for automatically forming dough-based products comprises an extruder tank having an air inlet. A source of air pressure is connected to the air inlet to control the pressure in the tank. The apparatus also includes at least one extruding mechanism, which may be a cutter, a knife or other extruding device known in the industry that may be used for extruding and cutting dough-based products. In one embodiment, the extruding mechanism extrudes individual dough-based products. An apparatus of the present invention may be equipped with multiple extruding mechanisms, such that several individual dough-based products may be extruded and cut at the same time.
The extruder tank is positioned on at least one load cell. The load cells are coupled with a computer having a processor and memory. Data relating to the weight of the extruder tank, including its contents, are transmitted from the load cells to the computer. An air pressure controller is coupled with the computer and with the source of air pressure. After receiving the data relating to the weight of the extruder tank, the computer transmits signals to the air pressure controller to adjust the pressure in the tank based on the weight data.
In one embodiment, a database is stored in the memory and includes data relating to type of dough-based product, target weight of the dough-based product, number of extruding mechanisms and initial air pressure in the extruder tank. A user interface device may also be coupled to the computer. The user interface device enables a user to display, select and input process parameters and operating conditions.
It is a feature and advantage of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for forming dough-based products that provide for the automatic control of the weight of dough-based products.
It is another feature and advantage of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for forming dough-based products that require less supervision by an extruder operator.
A further feature and advantage of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for forming dough-based products that result in substantial product savings by reducing the amount of dough that is discarded in order to monitor the weight of the dough-based products.
A still further feature and advantage of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for forming dough-based products that result in standardized dough-based products among various stores (i.e., a ring doughnut made in one store is identical in weight, shape, and appearance as a ring doughnut made in another store).
An additional feature and advantage of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for forming dough-based products that automate production line processes and controlling devices using input/output signals from multiple indicators to streamline dough-based production from an extruding apparatus to a proofer apparatus to a fryer apparatus.
A further feature and advantage of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for forming dough-based products that include the automated collection of production data.
A still further feature and advantage of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for forming dough-based products that enable the tracking of ingredients used to make dough-based products and the automation of re-ordering the ingredients.
The method and apparatus of the present invention also advantageously provide for automated shut-down when there is a production limitation or problem (e.g., blow out when dough supply is low).
Another feature and advantage of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for forming dough-based products that include audible alarms to alert an operator, including low product and safety alarms.
A further feature and advantage of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for forming dough-based products that allow for increased production flexibility (i.e., the methods and systems can be used for a multitude of dough-based products including doughnuts, such as, for example, ring doughnuts, shell doughnuts, cinnamon buns, doughnut holes, etc.).
A still further feature is that the methods and apparatuses of the present invention may determine the proper operating pressure at the beginning of a production run more quickly than an operator adjusting the pressure by hand.
Another feature and advantage of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for forming dough-based products that allow for more precise pressure adjustments.
Additional uses, objects, advantages, and novel features of the invention will be set forth upon review of the attached exhibits and in the detailed description that follows, and will become more apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following.